I Swear I Don’t Want to Be Everyone’s Favorite - Chapter 30

Even as Jiang Luoyue went to prepare the penalty drink, she still felt a prickling sensation on her back. But when she turned around, Fu Yunqing had already averted her face, chin raised in obvious anger.

Without hesitation, Jiang Luoyue added five portions of lemon juice to the cup, diluting it with three cups of water. When Fu Yunqing took a sip, the sourness wasn’t unbearable, but it still made her eyes water.

While Fu Yunqing struggled with the lemon water, Jiang Luoyue was being interviewed: “Why did you make this particular penalty drink?”

Jiang Luoyue answered without hesitation: “On one hand, I wanted Fu Yunqing to drink more water and get some vitamin C.”

Fu Yunqing pursed her lips, suddenly feeling that the sourness wasn’t so bad after all. Just like how Jiang Luoyue might not say she likes her, but she still cares…

“On the other hand,” Jiang Luoyue continued, her tone shifting with barely concealed amusement, “I think Fu Yunqing’s current state is very similar to this drink.”

Both were equally sour.

Fu Yunqing choked and coughed violently. This time, she was thoroughly angered by Jiang Luoyue and stormed off.

Duan Man tentatively asked, “Is she angry?”

Jiang Luoyue was just starting to feel a twinge of guilt when Yu Qiu sneered, “When is she not angry?”

That seemed true. Though it was a bit mean, Jiang Luoyue felt somewhat comforted.

For the next few hours, the three of them completed tasks at various checkpoints, encountering many fans along the way. From them, they learned about the other teams’ progress.

For example, Xiang Fan and Yu Jingtang had been rivals all morning, with a close score of five wins to four losses. Fu Yunqing maintained her overachiever attitude, relentlessly completing tasks.

Even Ning Fuguang, who only did tasks when convenient and otherwise wandered around, had earned four points. As for Jiang Lianyan, the only one not mentioned she kept encountering competitive tasks but was unlucky enough to never find an opponent. The solo tasks were also extremely difficult, leaving her with only one point so far.

When Ning Fuguang arrived at the designated location on time and received the news that her team was likely to come in last, her first reaction was to ask about the exact rankings.

Upon learning that Jiang Luoyue’s team was still in first place, she casually asked the staff, “Can the first-place team bring someone else along for their meal?”

Before the production team could respond, the live chat erupted in laughter:

[There’s still half an hour left! How can you already be thinking about mooching a meal!]

[Not a bad strategy. Sharing a meal has always been a great way to bond since ancient times.]

[Feels like something weird just slipped in there.]

After receiving a negative answer from the production team, Ning Fuguang sighed regretfully.

Beside her, Jiang Lianyan bit her lip. To avoid being scolded by Ning Fuguang, she preemptively apologized. She tried to explain why she had failed, only to receive a cold response from Ning Fuguang: “Really? Doesn’t matter. It’s over now anyway.”

With only thirty minutes left on the clock, there was no way they could surpass the other teams.

This was Jiang Lianyan’s first variety show, and she was about to earn the title of “last place.” The thought filled her with resentment. But since Ning Fuguang didn’t seem to care, she had no choice but to endure it and force herself to agree: “It’s all my fault.”

Yet she couldn’t help but complain: “The show’s rules are so unfair. Teams of three have a clear advantage over solo or duo teams.”

Jiang Lianyan even suspected that the production team had deliberately assigned her high-difficulty tasks. How else could she explain why her team was performing worse than even the solo contestants? It couldn’t possibly be her fault.

She had expected Ning Fuguang to at least offer some consolation or a perfunctory response, but instead, Ning Fuguang turned to look at her and said, “Jiang Luoyue’s team has always been completing the same task together as a group of three.”

Despite their numerical advantage, they never exploited it, starting from the same point as solo teams.

In contrast, Ning Fuguang’s team had split up from the beginning and ended up performing worse than the solo contestants. Thinking about this, Ning Fuguang couldn’t help but wonder how Jiang Lianyan, who already had an inherent advantage could claim the rules were unfair.

Was it simply because the production team hadn’t handed her victory on a silver platter that the rules were suddenly unfair?

She said offhandedly, “If you keep approaching tasks with that mindset, coming in last is only natural.”

This blunt criticism left Jiang Lianyan frozen in place. Ning Fuguang had struck every nerve, leaving her trembling with anger.

In Jiang Lianyan’s life, no one had ever mocked or criticized her so mercilessly. Her eyes instantly reddened: “If you hadn’t insisted on splitting up from the start, I wouldn’t have only one point.”

Ning Fuguang smiled faintly: “Is that so? My apologies then.”

With that, she confirmed that Jiang Lianyan simply didn’t understand reason. Ning Fuguang gave up explaining and turned to leave, but Jiang Lianyan followed closely behind, chattering incessantly: “President Ning? Why are you acting like this? I thought you were a person of refinement.”

So noisy. Even noisier than Fu Yunqing.

Ning Fuguang frowned, feeling a rare pang of guilt toward Fu Yunqing. Comparing her to Jiang Lianyan seemed almost unfair.

Just as her patience was about to run out, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of her. In the distance, outside a small supermarket, Jiang Luoyue stood holding a few bills, deep in thought. Yu Jingtang was beside her, and as soon as she spoke, Jiang Luoyue smiled at her.

Why were they together again? Ning Fuguang quickened her pace. Jiang Lianyan, startled, hurried after her, nearly breaking into a jog, only to collide with a passerby leaving the supermarket.

Amidst a woman’s startled cry, Jiang Lianyan fell to the ground. Instinctively, she braced herself with her hands, scraping her palms until they turned red.

Ning Fuguang stopped in her tracks and looked at Jiang Luoyue.

For a brief moment, surprise flickered across the girl’s beautiful face before it settled back into calmness. A few seconds later, as if changing her mind, she stepped toward Jiang Lianyan.

Blurred by pain, Jiang Lianyan saw the approaching figure and assumed she was coming to help her up. She instinctively reached out, wiping away her tears just as Jiang Luoyue brushed past her.

A faint breeze stirred against Jiang Lianyan’s cheek as she heard Jiang Luoyue say lightly to Yu Jingtang, “Let’s go, Xiao Tang. The countdown’s almost over.”

Yu Jingtang seemed equally stunned but quickly regained her composure: “Okay.”

“Luoyue?” Ning Fuguang called out, surprised. Jiang Luoyue turned as if just noticing her, her expression briefly sheepish before melting into a smile.

In that instant, Ning Fuguang realized: Jiang Luoyue knew Jiang Lianyan.

She had done it on purpose.

But before she could think further, Jiang Lianyan’s furious, tearful voice rang out: “My leg is injured! I need to go to the hospital!”

For a dancer, legs were their most important asset. Moreover, Jiang Lianyan had upcoming tours an injury was no small matter.

Almost immediately after Jiang Lianyan’s outburst, Hate Me cut the live broadcast.

This wasn’t unprecedented, but this time, the show remained off-air for a full hour. As the audience waited impatiently, they gradually realized that this episode might be canceled entirely due to Jiang Lianyan’s injury. Outraged, they flooded Weibo.

By now, Weibo was in chaos. The top trending topics were all related to Jiang Lianyan. The highest was #JiangLianyanInjured, but upon clicking, most discussions revolved around Jiang Luoyue’s cold behavior, ignoring Jiang Lianyan and “refusing to help” when she fell. Some even speculated that Jiang Lianyan’s injury was a deliberate setup by Jiang Luoyue out of jealousy.

[Isn’t Jiang Luoyue just an ungrateful wretch?]

[She didn’t even bother to help someone who fell? Does she hate her that much?]

[Yu Jingtang didn’t even ask either. All buddy-buddy with her own teammates but completely ignores Jiang Lianyan. If they love forming cliques so much, why even invite guest stars!?]

The reason for Jiang Lianyan’s injury no longer mattered. Everyone just wanted Jiang Luoyue to explain her actions and publicly apologize to Jiang Lianyan.

Amidst the uproar, the guests were currently waiting for lunch at a five-star hotel arranged by the production team.

Outside the window, the sea and sky merged into one. Fu Yunqing glanced at it before turning away, dissatisfied: “So this episode is just ending like this? We haven’t even tallied the final scores yet.”

Her obsession with not being last was profound. Xiang Fan mocked, “A guest got injured, and filming was paused. There are cameras rolling, can’t you say something with a little warmth?”

At this, Fu Yunqing grew even more displeased: “When I got injured, it wasn’t this big of a deal.”

Ning Fuguang raised an eyebrow: “Did you get injured on a variety show?”

Fu Yunqing immediately extended her right hand, the one closer to Jiang Luoyue displaying a scrape on her finger: “See this? Got scratched by a branch in the rainforest last episode. But luckily, I’m tough.”

Jiang Luoyue was scrolling through Weibo when five slender fingers suddenly waved in her peripheral vision, fanning the air like a distraction. She looked up just as Xiang Fan remarked, “True. Not everyone has divine dragon genes like you.”

As everyone knew, Fu Yunqing was a veteran of short dramas. And as even more people knew, short dramas were filled with mythical creatures like phoenixes and dragons. Fu Yunqing had once played such a role, resulting in an eternally preserved 4K blackmail-worthy moment,

“Xiang Fan!” Fu Yunqing exploded. Jiang Luoyue instinctively burst into laughter, breaking the tense silence at the table.

Ning Fuguang’s eyes curved in amusement. Yu Jingtang happily took a bite of food, only to be caught red-handed by Fu Yunqing.

Watching Jiang Luoyue laugh, Xiang Fan sighed, “That was hard-earned.”

Fu Yunqing hesitated, “You were so quiet earlier, I thought you.”

Were about to cry.

When Jiang Luoyue stayed silent, time itself seemed to freeze around her, creating an isolating atmosphere. Fu Yunqing hated that vibe. She’d rather Jiang Luoyue say something to annoy her than see her quiet and despondent.

“Sorry,” Jiang Luoyue finally realized that their earlier banter had been meant to cheer her up. “I’m fine.”

She was just questioning whether she’d done the wrong thing. On camera, should she have been so blatant about her dislike for Jiang Lianyan?

When Jiang Lianyan had reached out, there had been a fleeting moment where Jiang Luoyue considered helping her up. But the thought vanished as quickly as it came, leaving her cold. Remembering the past, she had walked right past Jiang Lianyan without a second glance.

Upon reflection, this was one of the few ways she could retaliate against Jiang Lianyan. Given the latter’s pride, she had likely already marked Jiang Luoyue as an enemy.

Just the possibility filled Jiang Luoyue with an indescribable thrill. Even the online vitriol couldn’t dampen her exhilaration.

The only downside was that this would probably deal another blow to her career.

Had she been too impulsive? Resting her chin on her hand, she sighed. The table, which had just returned to normal, tensed up again.

Fu Yunqing immediately declared, “The internet is full of nonsense. Sue a couple of them, and they’ll shut up!”

“She fell on her own it’s not your fault,” Xiang Fan added. “Besides, with an injury that minor, if she’d gone any later, it would’ve healed already.”

It was just the Jiang family making a fuss to push the hashtag and make Jiang Luoyue take the heat.

In Xiang Fan’s opinion, for such a grave matter, the punishment should be forcing Jiang Luoyue to eat more meat out of nearly ten dishes served, she’d only touched the vegetables. At her age, she needed proper nutrition. Xiang Fan was starting to doubt the competence of Jiang Luoyue’s family and agency.

Just as she finished mentally criticizing them, she looked up to see Ning Fuguang using serving chopsticks to place food on Jiang Luoyue’s plate.

“However angry you are, don’t skip meals,” Ning Fuguang said gently. “You need energy to stay mad.”

Suddenly being coddled like a child, Jiang Luoyue smiled and reached out with her left hand. As her sleeve slid back, a large scrape on her forearm was revealed. the blood had long dried, leaving a stark purple-red bruise beneath her skin.

Yu Jingtang turned and saw the injury. Her pupils constricted, and she immediately glared at the director.

“She’s injured too,” she demanded, her voice urgent and incredulous a first for everyone present. “Why was only Jiang Lianyan sent to the hospital?”

The director tried to explain but couldn’t find the words.

Jiang Luoyue interjected, “It’s fine. I already applied ointment.”

But in the frozen atmosphere, no one listened. Fu Yunqing began aggressively typing on her phone as if trying to smash the screen. Ning Fuguang stared at the wound for a few seconds before asking a waiter for medical supplies. Only Xiang Fan remained composed, picking up her jacket and adjusting her appearance in the mirror before resting a hand on Jiang Luoyue’s chair.

“Luoyue?”

It was the first time Xiang Fan had called her that. Jiang Luoyue looked up in surprise, only to hear Xiang Fan soften her tone: “Let’s go.”

“Go where?”

Still confused and unsure, Jiang Luoyue felt Xiang Fan take her right hand. With a cheerful smile, Xiang Fan said, “To the hospital, of course. To get your injury treated.”

And while they were at it, they might as well stir up some trouble for Jiang Lianyan.